“A plague is upon us’’ must have been a common phrase in ancient Jordan, where countless people perished from a mysterious malady that would shape both a society and an era of civilization.

People across the country, including in the Tampa Bay area, are coping with the latest surge of illness. The virus is contributing to a growing number of hospitalizations.

USF is one of 11 locations nationally to receive awards Tuesday to work on developing new techniques for medical imaging of the lymphatic system, identifying new biomarkers and identifying genomic variants that can be used to diagnose lymphatic dysfunction.